How a National Collegiate Judo Champion Helped Thwart a Hijacked Flight on 9/11

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Jeremy Glick, a sales executive and former judo champion, was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 when it was hijacked on September 11, 2001. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Glick and fellow passengers launched a desperate, heroic struggle to reclaim the aircraft, ultimately preventing its intended target.

Born in 1970, Jeremy Logan Glick grew up in New Jersey and excelled as an athlete and leader. During his time at the University of Rochester, he served as captain of the rugby team, president of his fraternity, and achieved status as an American National Collegiate Judo champion. By 2001, he was a sales executive living in West Milford with his wife, Lyzbeth, and their infant daughter, Emerson, who was born just months before the attacks.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Glick boarded Flight 93 for a business trip. After learning of the earlier attacks on the World Trade Center, Glick and other passengers, including Todd Beamer, Mark Bingham, and Tom Burnett, coordinated a plan to confront the hijackers. In his final phone call to his wife, Glick stated his intent to rush the hijackers before hanging up. The ensuing struggle forced the plane down in a field in Pennsylvania, thwarting the hijackers' plan to strike the U.S. Capitol or the White House.

In the years following his death, Glick has been honored through numerous memorials and awards. He received the Medal for Heroism from the Sons of the American Revolution in 2002 and the Arthur Ashe Courage Award the same year. In 2008, the United States Judo Association awarded him an honorary 10th-degree black belt. His legacy is further preserved through the non-profit Jeremy's Heroes, founded by his sister Jennifer to support young athletes, and his induction into the Rochester Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Glick's actions have been immortalized in film, music, and literature, serving as a testament to his character. Those who knew him, including his brother-in-law and former boss, described him as a focused, take-charge individual who naturally assumed responsibility. His life and final moments continue to be remembered at the Flight 93 National Memorial and the National 9/11 Memorial, where his name is inscribed on Panel S-67.

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